An Affair
by SophieSally109
Summary: Neville Longbottom has just been appointed Professor of Herbology. His life seems perfect. He has the perfect wife, perfect job, perfect future... until a certain student catches his eye... Rated T for theme.
1. Prologue

Neville Longbottom stood nervously at the head of the Herbology greenhouse, facing his apprehensive students with a shaky, pale, sick face. It was his first year teaching, and Headmistress McGonagall had stupidly allowed him to teach the advanced NEWT classes, along with the beginner and intermediate. Today was his first lesson, an advanced NEWT one, and he stood facing the class, trying to hold back the puke that was trying to force its way out. Running his tanned hand through his dark hair, he cleared his throat, returning his gaze to his expectant audience. "Er-" he cleared his throat, "-welcome."

No response from the class. Neville cursed himself for waiting for a reply. Stupid, stupid, stupid. You were an Auror, you helped defeat Voldemort, and you're nervous about talking to a few students about plants. Neville beat himself up over his tiny blunder.

"I assume you all achieved at least an E in this class last year?" Neville inquired, trying to get some interaction going in his class. To his credit, there were a few mumbles of 'yes' and some students even raised their hands.

"Excell-" Neville was cut off by a blonde seventh year raising her hand. "Oh, yes, do you have a question?"

The girl blushed and carefully lowered her hand, "Er, not exactly." She fiddled with her hands before continuing. "It's just, I didn't receive an E on my OWLs. I got an A..." the girl trailed off, her voice slightly cracking.

"Oh," Neville said, slightly surprised, "Er, what year are you in?"

"My seventh," she said, brushing a piece of her hair behind her ear. "I didn't take it last year because I didn't receive an E, but McGonagall said that it was perfectly fine this year. She said that you were accepting A's..." again, the girl let her sentence hang.

"Oh, er..." Neville did not how to properly proceed. "What is your name?"

"Natalie Darwin," Natalie replied. The girl had long, flowing blonde hair and bright, dazzling blue eyes. She was average height, but very pretty. She was surrounded by students Neville could only deem as the 'popular kids' who all looked to her admiringly. She seemed confident enough, aside from her conversation with Neville.

"Um... Well okay." Neville slowly began to feel more uncomfortable. "Any other questions?"

The other students stared at him blankly.

"Alrighty then," Neville said, referring to his handbook. He would be following the curriculum very close this year, properly reviewing the basics. "Today, we will be taking a pre-test so I can get a feel for your skills," Neville pulled a stack of paper from underneath the wooden table. "Can I get any volunteers to help pass out?"

A cocky boy that towered over the rest raised his hand excitedly like a little boy, before pretending to faint before the class. The students thundered with laughter, except for Neville, who blushed idly. The boy jumped up and took a bow, before turning a green eye on Neville, "Get it, Professor? I helped pass out."

Neville immediately hated the boy. He didn't laugh, acknowledge the boy's teasing glances, or dock points from Slytherin. Instead, he passed out the two page test himself. When he reached Natalie, she gave him a forgiving smile, before taking her paper respectively. As she took it, their fingers brushed, causing an electrical spark to vibrate through Neville's hand. Locking eyes with Natalie, she giggled slightly. He knew she could feel it too. He bit his lip, embarrassed.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Natalie sighed at the pile of homework before her. It had been a month since the start of classes, and not one teacher had let up on their assignments or demands. She pushed the pile with her foot, only to have it collapse in front of the fireplace. She sighed as she bent over to pick it up. Shuffling her assignments, she began to look it through, remember the words of Professor Longbottom as she reached the Herbology essay she had attempted at writing: "And if any of you need tutoring, I am always available." He had been looking directly at her when he said this, which wasn't unusual, considering Natalie was the most looked upon student in Hogwarts. But this time, it seemed like he was directing his words at her. Of course, Natalie was most certainly not at the top of her class, and it wouldn't surprise her if she was at the very bottom. But she always loved Herbology, no matter how difficult it was for her to learn the several species of plants. Actually, Natalie's best subject was Transfiguration, but she hated it. To her, it was a pointless subject that would only come of use if she wanted her banana peel to turn into a tampon. At least it brought up her grades, even if only by a smidgen.

Staring dumbly at the paper, she tried to search for the best answer to the essay question:  
_Describe and explain the use of a shrivelfig._

"Gahh!" Natalie said, throwing down her papers once more. "This is so impossible," she muttered, chewing on the end on her quill angrily.

"Hey," she heard a voice say behind her. Natalie turned in the couch to see her friend David standing across the Common Room.

Natalie smiled back and waved him over.

"Having trouble?" asked David as he took the cushion next to her. His blue eyes pierced into hers, a comforting feeling that Natalie had gotten used to in her second year. David was a year below her, but was a genius. He often helped her with her homework.

"Yeah," said Natalie. Her eyes scanned the pile yet again.

"What all do you have?" David grabbed the pile and began to look through it. He murmured to himself as he did so. They were small incantations of spells that he liked to practice while he thought. Sometimes, if he concentrated hard enough, sparks would fly from his wand, casuing him to stop, but that was unusual for him.

"Thirteen inches of parchment for Potions on something or other-I can't remember for the life of me what it was. For Charms, I have to read Chapter Two of my textbook. For Herbology, I have to 'describe and explain the use of a shrivelfig. And, to top it off, I have to turn it a planet chart for Astronomy."

David grimaced. "Sounds like a handful."

"Just about," Natalie winked at him.

David smiled back. Not once since the beginning of their friendship had he shown any interest in her. Natalie loved not receiving any special attention, as she did from most of her other classmates.

"Here..." began David. "I'll start reading the Charms chapter and write you a summary that you can review. I'll also write out ten questions that you will need to answer in order to get what you need. Deal?"

"Deal." Natalie breathed loudly in relief, taking the Herbology textbook and turning to the index.

_Shrivelfigs... 23-34._

She turned to the correct page and began to scan for important information. She jotted down a few notes as she did so, occasionally glancing over to David as his eyes quickly jumped around the page, committing it to memory. Halfway down the third page entitled "Origins of Shrivelfigs", Natalie caught herself staring at David. Never until just now had she realized just how attractive he was, with his straight nose and dark, shaggy hair that dropped just over his eyebrows. His strong arms moved easily as he turned the page. Suddenly, David looked up and locked eyes with her, surprised to find her staring.

"What?" David cocked his head curiously.

"Nothing," said Natalie, as she bit her lip and returned to her notes.

David shook his head and continued his work as well.

As usual, Natalie made it another three pages before her eyes began to wander throughout the sparse Common Room. Many students were wandering throughout the castle, exploring it and visiting their favorite locations. Those students who had gateway exams that year-the fifth and seventh years-were bent over their parchment, writing furiously. Natalie spotted one of her best friends, Cassie, alone in the corner, isolated and bent over her Potions book. Natalie held back a laugh as the book fell from her lap, causing Cassie to snap back into attention. She had been dosing off at the boredom of the subject. Cassie looked over to Natalie and narrowed her eyes threateningly. Natalie shrugged and Cassie rolled her eyes before picking up her book and flipping back to her designated page.

"Natalie, concentrate," said David, who had noticed her interaction with her friend across the room. Natalie kicked his leg. She curled her own underneath her, leaning on the arm of the couch.

Three pages later, David stood, stretched and pointed to her Herbology book. "Hand it over. I finished the Charms work, now I'll read the chapter and tell you exactly what to write for your essay. How long does it have to be?"

"At least nine inches," said Natalie, throwing the Herbology book in his direction, before taking his parchment from him and completing the questions. She did so with ease from the content in the book. David's questions were direct and to the point, easy enough for her.

Once she finished, David stood and handed her a roll of parchment. "Write down exactly what I say," he commanded.

"Will do," nodded Natalie, poising her hand, ready for his words.

"Here we go," David began to pace in front of the fire, one hand stroking his chin, the other supporting his elbow at his waist.

"A shrivelfig is a magical plant that originated in Abyssinia..." Natalie scribbled down every word that he spoke, occasionally switching around a few words and dumbing it down so it sounded more like her.

"Thanks," said Natalie, as David collapsed on the couch next to her.

"No problem," said David. "When is your Potions assignment due?"

"Thursday," Natalie responded after a bit of thought. It was Tuesday.

David nodded thoughtfully. "We'll work on it tomorrow night, yeah?"

Natalie smiled in agreement. "Thanks so much David. You saved me!"

"No big deal, I've been doing it since your third year."

Natalie giggled and stood, "We should make it down to the Great Hall if we want to make it in time for supper."

The two of them exited the almost abandoned Common Room. As they walked away, the Fat Lady called after them exasperatedly, "You better hurry!"

The broke out into a jog. As they made it down the final staircase, David tripped on the hem of his robe. He met the marble floor with a crack!

"Peeves!" David shouted as he stood. The poltergeist floated above them, laughing hysterically.

"Ohh, little weenie Davikins is a clumsy one!" He laughed as he zoomed away.

_"Hurry,"_ Natalie said, grabbing his hand. Lucky for them, dinner had not yet begun. They sat at the end of the Gryffindor table, next to Cassie and Callum. Callum grinned at Cassie, showcasing a perfect row of straight, white teeth.

Natalie knew that Callum liked her, not that she would ever admit it, or act on it. Cassie had been hoarding a crush on him since their first year when he joined them in the compartment on the Hogwarts Express. How couldn't she? He had perfectly combed dirty blonde hair and chocolate brown eyes that seemed to melt when he looked at someone. Callum was a perfect seventeen year old.

Professor McGonagall stood and raised her arms, causing the food to appear before their eyes. Natalie grabbed a piece of bread and picked at it while the four talked.

"How was Herbology today?" David directed the question at Natalie, but it was Cassie who responded.

"Excellent," said Cassie. "Professor Longbottom is a really nice teacher. He gives you so many answers and lets you by easy if you mess up. He's kind of a pushover, but whatever."

As Cassie spoke, Natalie glanced up at the Head table. Her eyes glazed over as they moved down the row. When they landed on Professor Longbottom, her heart skipped a beat. He was in conversation with Hagrid. Hagrid made a comment, and Longbottom chuckled uneasily. Natalie could tell Hagrid's words were unsettling to Longbottom, for he removed himself from the conversation and looked out at the students. His eyes scanned the audience. Within seconds, they caught Natalie's. Embarrassed, they both quickly looked back down at their food.

Cassie noticed Natalie's sudden change in demeanor: embarrassed posture and red cheeks. Storing this information in the back of her mind, she turned back to Callum.

"How's detention treating you?" She asked.

Callum had a knack for getting himself into trouble. Normally it was for making smart comments to teachers, but there were the occasional blunders where he destroyed property or hit a younger student.

"Why are you in detention? And with whom?" Natalie cut into the conversation, much to Callum's delight and Cassie's disgust.

"I got in a fight with Delaney," Callum's upper lip curled as he said this. "I hate that douche."

"So does the rest of the world," said David.

Natalie looked over David's shoulder to see Delaney laughing with his cronies. His brown hair was shaved closely to his head, displaying an image of a soldier. She shuddered as he ripped chicken meat from the bone. Something about Delaney put her off somehow.

"Gross," she said, watching him spit his chicken back on his plate.

At the end of dinner, Natalie hung back from the rest of the seventh and sixth years and waited a bit, looking around the dispersing crowd for her younger sister, Lydia. She spotted the first year at the very end of the line and ran over to her, sweeping her into a hug. Lydia pulled away immediately. "What are you doing?" She asked with wide brown eyes.

"Seeing how my little sister is adjusting!"

Ever since the beginning of the school year, Lydia and Natalie had hardly ever talked. They were rather close at home, but by the time school rolled around they drifted apart.

"I'm adjusting well," said Lydia, trying to pry herself away from Natalie, who had a stern grip on Lydia's arm. She watched as Lydia's friends looked at Natalie with reverant eyes. That was one of the pluses of being a seventh year-all the little kids worshipped the ground you walked on.

"All your classes okay?" Natalie began walking with Lydia.

"They're fine."

"And your Professors are nice enough?"

"Yes."

"Any bullies?"

"None," Lydia rolled her eyes at every question Natalie asked.

Natalie got the hint and smiled sadly down at her little sister. "I got to check out a book from the library now," she said as they left the Great Hall. "See you."

Lydia gave a small attempt at a smile, before running to catch up with her friends.

Natalie was stung at her sister's behavior. They were the best of friends back home. Why was her sister acting so different? She probably thought she was super popular now that she had friends.

Once Natalie arrived at the library, she immediately made her way to her favorite row that was surrounded by towering bookcases. Collapsing into a comfy armchair, she paid no attention to the man who sat near her, head bent over a book with interest.

Natalie sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, tired.

"Are you alright?" A familiar voice asked.

Natalie opened her eyes a smidgen and peered over to a plush armchair positioned near her.

"Oh," she said. It was Professor Longbottom.

"Are you alright?" He repeated.

"I'm fine," Natalie said a little too quickly.

"Okay," he said, bending his head back over the novel he had placed in his lap.

Natalie adjusted her body, trying to see what he was reading about. After several failed attempts, she finally returned to her regular, curled up position and asked, "What are you reading?"

Longbottom said something that just escaped her ears.

"_What?_" Natalie asked, a bit obnoxiously.

He looked up, slightly annoyed. "A muggle novel," said Longbottom. "Nothing that would interest you."

Natalie rolled her eyes at his assumption, "You think I don't read Muggle novels?"

The professor blushed. "I don't know."

"If you don't know, then you shouldn't say stuff like that."

He didn't respond.

Natalie spoke again, "But you were right, I don't read them. Not that it wouldn't interest me. What's it called?"

He closed the book, his thumb saving his page, and showed her the cover.

Across the front, in gold lettering read: A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare.

"Shakespeare?" said Natalie. "That sounds familiar. Who is he? Was he a wizard?"

"He was a very famous Muggle novelist," Longbottom said. Natalie couldn't help but notice the slight tremor in his voice. He was nervous.

"If he was famous, I think I would know about him," said Natalie, shrugging.

For the umpteenth time, he said nothing back. Tired of her one-sided conversation, Natalie huffed and looked around the room, uninterested in anything she saw. The flying books that she was once awed by now bored her. Looking once more at Professor Longbottom, she caught him glancing up at her. He looked back at his book, blushing.

"Goodnight," Natalie stood and stalked off, knowing for certain that he was staring after her from the reflection in the opposite window.

As she made her way up the moving staircases, she couldn't help but feel slightly abashed at how she acted in front of Professor Longbottom. She was brash and rude. Shrugging off her annoyment with her, for he said practically nothing at all, she found herself in front of the waiting Fat Lady.

"You're late," said the Fat Lady, who was examining her nails. "As usual."

"_Highland Lochs_," Natalie recited the password. The Fat Lady opened, allowing her access to the Common Room. She entered to find the Common Room completely deserted. People must be exhausted, she thought to herself.

Collecting her belongings from the table in front of the fire, she made her way from the empty Gryffindor common room to her dormitory. As expected, her roommates were all sound asleep. After changing, she crawled underneath her covers. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she passed out.

* * *

A/N: _This is my first chapter. I promise the story will be true to how JK Rowling intended Neville to be when he grew up, but with a few twists. I don't know exactly where this is going, but I have an image readily forming in my head. Please give me advice as to how I can make this better. I, as an author, am always prepared to grow in my writing. Please, please, please **REVIEW/FAVORITE. **I'd really appreciate it. Thank you for reading! xoxo_


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Neville stood shakily at the front of the class. He was a month into teaching, and he still wasn't comfortable addressing over thirty people at once. Though he had memorized their names, he often jumbled them around, occasionally calling Cassie, a girl with long brown hair, Kitty. This Cassie girl was one of his least favorites. She always asked for him to give her a few extra points on her homework assignments and exams, and he would always oblige for a reason that was unbeknownst to him. Because of this, Cassie, or Miss Carnegie as he referred to her after he had messed up her name for the thousandth time, currently held an O in the class, when she should really be earning an E.

Another hated student of his was a boy named Delaney. He constantly goofed off in class, making inappropriate noises and gestures toward him. The boy was in Slytherin, which made sense, seeing as although he stood out academically, his record diminished these stellar achievements. Delaney, in fact, was the student who on Neville's first day had pretended to faint and made a cheeky remark about Neville's choice of words.

The only student of his that truly shone as a top student was Natalie Darwin. Her essays were concise, her homework was always completed on time, and she never spoke out of turn. Actually, she hardly ever spoke in class, unless she was talking to a peer. Not once had she ever answered one of his questions, but always got it correct on the homework. Whatever the reason for this was, Neville didn't care. Her marks were enough to possibly put her at the top of the class behind Cassie Carnegie, and the only reason she was ahead was because she irked Neville so in order to add extra credit points to her grade.

After all this time of learning his students' capabilities, where they excelled and where they fell, Neville still had problems introducing the lesson. They were moving on from shrivelfigs today and learning the basics of Venomous Tentacula.

"So, er, today, we will be planting the seeds of Venomous Tenticular-I mean, Tentacula." Along with mixing up students names, he often mispronounce the topic of discussion. "Be sure to pack your soil tightly. There is no need for water, for the Venomous Tentacula has it's own system of photosynthesis within itself. In fact, it is best for the plant to be put in the shadows rather than in the sun. You will find more detailed instructions on page 35 of your textbook. Carry on." Neville finished his instructions strongly. Normally at the end of his short rants, he said what he was thinking, which was normally I want to die. By now, Neville was surprised that the class did not think of him as suicidal.

As the class went about their business, Neville walked around the room with his hands tucked underneath his forearms, studying the class's work. Just as always, Judas managed to plant his so incorrectly that the plant shot right up from the pot with wings on either side of it, flapping them wildly as if it were some sort of a duck. Neville hurried over, and, with the wave of the wand, diminished the frantically flopping plant. "Better luck next time Judas," said Neville, handing him another seed for another try. "Just remember you only get three tries today." Neville had grown tired of Judas's incessant blunders.

"Thanks, Professor," said Judas as he took the seed gingerly from Neville's palm.

Neville carried on.

A boy named Bentley was having trouble understanding exactly how to pack the soil correctly in the pot, so Neville did that bit for him, talking as he did so. Bentley thanked him as Neville walked away. The rest of the column he was walking down were doing pretty well with only the two mishaps that Neville had caught. He began walking up the next column, his stomach flopping when he spotted Miss Darwin laughing hysterically at Callum Portsmouth imitating Judas's failed attempt at potting the plant. Neville noticed Judas struggling again, and immediately felt bad for the kid. That was how he had felt every day of his seven years at Hogwarts-unwanted. Neville quickly made his way over to Portsmouth and Darwin.

"Mr. Portsmouth, please respect the other students or I will have to dock points from your house," said Neville warningly. "Same goes for you Miss Darwin." He glanced over to her, trying to mask his face with mock disapproval.

Portsmouth immediately began talking. "But, sir," he said. "It wouldn't matter anyway because Judas is in the same house as us."

Neville considered this for a moment. "Then I will have to give you detention, won't I?" He watched Natalie Darwin blanch at the thought of a behavioral demerit. Her record was pretty clean in that department. Portsmouth also looked scared, for his record was so marked up that it was hard to count all the detentions.

"Sorry, sir," said Portsmouth. Darwin nodded in agreement. The two went back to work silently. Darwin, he noticed, was packing the soil not very tightly.

"You're doing it wrong," said Neville.

She turned around, confused at who he speaking to.

"I am?" She asked, looking very astonished.

"Yes," repeated Neville. "Let me see you try it again."

Natalie packed the soil just as loosely.

"Here," advised Neville. He got behind her and wrapped his arms around her, placing his palms on the back of her hands. "You want to pack it." Interlacing his fingers with hers, he guided her hands in such a fashion that the dirt became more compact and hard. His breath trailed now her neck as he gave a final exhale and push against her hands. "Better, see?" He asked when he pulled away. Darwin nodded, blushing slightly. Realizing what just happened, Neville blushed as well and looked around the class to see if anybody noticed what had just transposed between the two of them, but they were all bent over their books, scribbling furiously in the margins and trying to push the dirt together.

"Thanks," she said breathlessly. He noticed that she was not nearly as talkative as she was the other night in the library. He nodded to her, before moving along.

The rest of the period passed with hardly any great events, aside from the fact that Portsmouth mocked Judas as the bell rang. However, Neville decided to let the act slide, trying to concentrate on how his hands fit perfectly into Miss Darwin's. Better, in fact, than they had with his fiancee.

His fiancee.

He had completely forgotten about her in the moments that had just passed, which was odd for him, for she was normally at the forefront of his mind. Now that he thought about it, everyday around this time she seemed to completely erase herself from his thoughts. Concentrating hard, he thought about Hannah's lovely smile and her ringing laughter that made him fall in love with her in the first place.

The class filed out, and Neville nodded to each of them as they passed. Judas, Bentley, Delaney-who was making a rude gesture to them from behind-Livingston, Adams, Watts, the Thompson sisters, Jade, Martin, Carnegie, Portsmouth, Natalie Darwin...

As she passed, the two of them locked eyes, brown on blue. Hers swirled with the colors of the ocean, and his smoldered her, causing her heart to skip a beat. Everybody around them seemed to fade out and they shared a small smile-or rather, Natalie smiled and he just glared back. Wait, no. He didn't mean to glare, he meant to gaze! But it was too late, she had already left the greenhouse, cackling loudly with her two friends. The rest of the class left in a blur, him nodding out of habit. After the last of them left, he retired to his office; a quaint little room that held a desk and a small couch for visitors. The room was made from wood instead of the greenhouse's glass and was dark until you lit the lantern that hung by the door. As he lit it, the light illuminated his surroundings. When he had first arrived, the office was sparse and bare, with hardly any decoration. After a month, it had stayed that way, aside from the pictures he hung on the back wall. He walked over to them, and squinted as he examined them.

The first of the six was a picture of him and his grandmother before he took off to Hogwarts. Back then, his ears protruded quite largely from his head, and he was sort of plump. Now, sixteen years later, he had grown into his body, and was quite fit now. The next picture that he had hung was one of him and his parents when he was born. He was just a tiny newborn in the arms of his mother, who gazed down lovingly at him with a small but noticeably happy smile. His father stood behind her, arms wrapped around her, laughing at the camera. It was hard to believe that only a short time later would they be tortured senseless by the infamous Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange. His veins pulsed with hate as he thought of her.

The third picture was of him in his seventh year, side by side with Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood. It was a month after the Battle of Hogwarts, and they were all still healing from their wounds they had attained. Smiling at the distant memory, he found himself glad that he had kept in touch with them all. Except for Luna. They had parted ways a little after their failed attempt at a relationship fell apart. It wasn't soon after that that Neville finally got over her and immersed himself in his Auror training.

That was the fourth picture: him after he received his necessary qualifications for the prestigious responsibilities. It was one of the happiest days of his life. In the picture, he was laughing next to Harry Potter, the two each pumping their certificates in the air, rejoicing. In the background, Hermione, Ron and Ginny laughed at them.

The second to last picture was one of his favorites. It had no people in it. It was just a picture of an old house, threatening to crumble over at any minute. His childhood home shook as the wind blew by, and the long grass swayed gently. The last time he had seen it was when the picture was taken. A little over six years ago; he was twenty-one.

Three years ago was when he had reunited with Hannah Abbott. The day was at a reunion, hosted at the Potter mansion. It was nice to catch up with old friends, not that there were any. During his days at Hogwarts, he was bullied to no end. The reunion was nice, with plenty of people remarking at his job position, and remembering his noble action of slaying the Dark Lord's snake. It was odd seeing people that had once hated him, but now revered him. As the party was slowing down, he spotted Hannah standing awkwardly alone in the kitchen, filling up her glass with extra firewhiskey. He had introduced himself because they hadn't talked at Hogwarts, and she knew immediately who he was. They chatted for hours before they realized that the only people left at the party where them and the Potter family, who were watching them expectantly. They left together and got a cup of coffee. The romance snowballed from there. They dated for another two years and a half before Neville proposed, a day that he considered one of the most nerve-wracking of his life. Even though he knew she would say yes, he was still scared out of his skin. He proposed on a modest dinner date by candlelight. Ever the one to behold a romantic gesture, he had hidden the engagement ring in the bottom of the wine glass. They were at a Muggle restaurant, which would explain the applause when she said yes. They have been engaged for sixth months now, and have yet to set a date.

The picture that moved in the frame was the one she had put in the envelope for their engagement announcement. They were outside his brand new flat, and the wind was blowing in their hair. Neville had his arms wrapped around Hannah, and was kissing her cheek as she giggled and squirmed. It was absolutely perfect.

So he thought. Looking at it now, he felt like he was looking at a ghost.

Neville took a seat at his desk and took out a fresh piece of parchment. He smoothed it out, dipped his quill in ink, and began to write.

_My dearest Hannah,_

_Hogwarts is bringing back so many memories. The memories of being in class, being bullied, and making friends. It isn't the same without you, of course. Nothing is the same without you._

_The other day during dinner, Hagrid made an unusual comment about your studies while you were here. He said I was very lucky, and all the standard wish-wash that one says to another when they first get engaged. Then he told me that if it doesn't work out, for me to tell you to give him a call. Hagrid seems to be pretty lonely-maybe you should write him, at least._

_I just thought I would get in touch with you-it's been a week since we last talked, hasn't it? Let me know how you're doing. How's your father? Is he still sick?_

_I love & miss you._

_Yours,_  
_Neville_

Neville rolled up the parchment and opened his owl Gage's cage. The tawny owl chirped as it flew to the window, it's leg held out for Neville expectantly. Neville addressed his letter and sent it off within a minute.

He sat down at his desk, exhausted. Soon, his eyes began to droop and he felt himself drift off into dreamland.

* * *

A/N: _I realize this chapter is sort of boring. I needed to write it to establish Neville's background for those who aren't well-versed in it. The next chapter will focus on Natalie. I'm excited to write it! Please, please, please **review review review!** Love you all xox_


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"David!" Natalie ran to try and catch up with her friend, who was marching down to Care of Magical Creatures, one of his favorite subjects. "David, wait up!"

He turned and smiled when he heard her voice ring out in the air.

"Hey Nat," said David, waving at her. Natalie went to pull him in for a hug, but David left his arms hanging at his sides, so it felt rather awkward to each of them. "Um... Aren't you supposed to be in Transfiguration?"

"No," Natalie replied, slightly confused. She thought David knew that every Thursday she had a free period right before lunch.

"Oh," he said dismissively, turning to walk back.

"I'll walk you down," Natalie said, falling in step with him as they carefully scaled the shaky path. They were quiet for a moment, before Natalie seized the opportunity to mention what she had been thinking about for the past few weeks. "So... You know there's a trip to Hogsmeade tomorrow, yeah?"

David nodded excitedly. "It'll be fun," he said.

"You wanna go together?" Natalie asked, her stomach flopping wildly as she did so.

"Don't we always?"

It wasn't exactly the response Natalie was looking for. "Can't wait baby doll," with a cute wink was how she had dreamed his reaction. He apparently didn't understand what she was getting at, so she tried a different approach. Carefully, she wrapped her own arm around his and held onto his wrist while leaning her head against her shoulder.

"Where do you wanna go?" She asked casually, as if they were always this close when walking. David obviously felt adverse to the close contact, and shrugged away, much to Natalie's disappointment.

"Where we always do: a stop by Zonkos, then straight to the Three Broomsticks." He lifted his arm out of her firm grip and put about a foot of space between them.

Natalie bit her lip, disappointed. "Okay, sounds alright," she mysteriously replied.

"Unless you want to try something new." He could tell she was hurt by his evasiveness.

"No, no! That's fine, we can make it work."

They were nearing the pasture by Hagrid's hut now. Natalie's heart jumped as she realized how unsure she was at saying goodbye to David. Had he not gotten her subliminal messages about how she felt about him? Or was he just playing hard to get? Natalie decided to test the waters, and as they reached Hagrids hut, she turned to him with a bright smile on her face. "See you." She said, gazing up at him through her eyelashes. As she did so, she analyzed his expression. It seemed suppressed somehow, like he was trying to hide a faint smile.

Before she walked away, she gingerly touched his bicep, still wearing the flirty smile. Without being able to help it, David grinned back. His cheeks turned red as he did so, much to Natalie's amusement. "Bye then," said David, almost croaking it out.

Natalie didn't say anything, just turned away and tried to make her way up the long hill that looked more like a mountain to her.

Natalie's thighs began to ache by the time she was halfway up it. She walked by the greenhouses, ashamed somewhat and trying to hide her face from the class taking place outside. Professor Longbottom was standing in front of a gaggle of first-year admirers, obviously quite taken with the attention he was getting. Natalie sped by, catching a glimpse at the conversation at hand.

"You're moving to the Leaky Cauldron?" One dark-haired girl asked in awe, gazing up at him.

Longbottom nodded, his ears turning a bright pink.

"That's so cool!" Another tiny blonde boy rejoiced from the back.

"I guess," said Neville as he shuffled his feet. "Back to the lesson..."

Natalie felt herself slowing down to eavesdrop.

"Who are you moving there with?" The boy asked.

"Hannah, stupid. Pay attention," the dark-haired girl from before snapped at him.

Natalie rounded the corner, and stopped in her tracks as soon as she was out of sight. She strained her ears to try and listen in.

"Who's Hannah?" asked an anonymous voice. Natalie couldn't tell if it were a boy or a girl. They all sounded the same, the eleven year olds.

"His girlfriend, keep up," another girl sounded.

Natalie's stomach did a strange flip. She stared down at it, confused as to what just happened. Bulging her eyes, she managed to unstick her feet and run down the courtyard hallway towards the Great Hall. Once she was in the foyer, she caught her breath. What was her problem? It wasn't any of her business trying to figure out what was happening in her Herbology teacher's love life.

Her hot Herbology teacher's love life.

"Oh, shut up," said Natalie, talking to her brain that had produced the thought. The moment she said it, Professor Binns was floating by and looked at her with an expression of disapproval. "That's the most your face has changed in seven years!" she told him while he disappeared into a wall. Natalie rolled her eyes.

She stomped up to her room to figure out what to wear tomorrow to Hogsmeade on her first ever date with David.  
"You look great," said David. His eyes scanned her outfit appreciatively. Natalie smiled.

Last night, it had taken her five hours to finally decide on a pair of tight jeans and a black v-neck with a plaid peacoat over it. Muggle clothes were her favorite, because she could always mix and match.

"Thanks," replied Natalie, flashing him her straight teeth. He gulped.

The line was becoming sparse now as the third years and above made their way out of the castle to Hogsmeade. Filch was checking off their permission forms. Lately, his hair was greying even more then ever, occasionally falling out in large chunks. Natalie and David handed him their updated forms. He nodded hastily to them, and they trotted off to Hogsmeade excitedly.

The walk there felt longer than ever, but the two kept themselves preoccupied with talk of Quidditch. Tryouts had been postponed because one of the captains had hurt themselves in a duel, and it had taken quite a bit of time to find a new one. Natalie was never the best Quidditch player in the world, but she was good enough to make the team ever since her third year. Her position was Beater, a position not often given away to a girl. When she had first started out, they assigned her the role of Chaser, which she was pretty good at. When fourth year rolled around, they tried her out as Keeper and she had dominated. There was something about swinging a giant club around that just seemed to fit Natalie perfectly.

David, on the other hand, was not much of an athlete. Because Natalie had begged so much, he had tried out with her in his second year. He could barely go ten seconds of flying before zooming to the ground, head first. David hadn't even made it through the first round of tryouts. Surprisingly, he wasn't made fun of much, because everyone knew he had more brains than brawns. They also knew that Natalie had paid him to come with her.

Their conversation was more of an etiquette than anything else. David really understood the dynamics of Quidditch, along with strategy. He was quite a helper during the season in being able to decipher the opposite teams' surprise plays. During the games, he sat by the locker rooms with binoculars and a notebook and took note of everything that occurred. When halftime rolled around, he met them in the locker room and spat out everything he could about the enemy. It helped a lot, and, if Gryffindor were losing a match, he was normally able to help them catch up.

Zonkos came up in the distance, and Natalie began to gallop towards it. She expected David to follow, but he caught her arm just in time before she could run off. "I thought we could try something different." His eyes smoldered hers as he looked down at her. It wasn't until just now that Natalie realized how much taller he was than her. She nodded wordlessly.

They began to walk up the hill when David's hand slid down from the crook in her elbow to her hand. He interlaced his fingers with hers, squeezing her hand lighlty.

"Are you cold?" he asked. Natalie laughed out loud. It was only September!

"Not at all!" she exclaimed.

Students around them oggled as they walked by. Their eyes followed their interlaced fingers, whispering amongst themselves about Hogwarts' newest couple. What they didn't know was that David and Natalie weren't dating-yet.

"Where are we going?" asked Natalie as he led her past the Three Broomsticks.

"Madame Puddifoot's Tea Shop," responded David, smirking at her as she giggled excitedly.

"I've never been there before, but I hear it's great!"

"It is," said David. "I went there once with Sandy."

Natalie's cheeks began to burn at the sound of her name. She absolutely hated Sandy, David's ex-girlfriend. During the short time that she and David dated, she was controlling and manipulative. The relationship ended in shambles from his fourth year to fifth year.

"Speaking of which, look who's staring," said David. With his free hand, he pointed to a girl with shoulder-length auburn hair and brown eyes. She was only a few feet away outside of Honeydukes, holding a brown package with an address scribble across it in black ink. Sandy was shooting daggers at the couple, her eyes narrowed dangerously.

Natalie threw her head back and laughed hysterically as they passed. When they reached Madame Puddifoot's Tea Shop, David pulled his hand away from hers and opened the door for her. "After you," he said with a wink. Natalie happily obliged.

They found themselves a table by the entrance and sat down. Madame Puddifoot came over with menus and handed them out, cheerily reciting the tea specials of the day. Natalie thanked her as she walked away.

"So..." David began.

Natalie grinned back, leaving her right hand limp on the table for easy access for hand holding. Without hesitation, David took it. His hand was warm and clammy, but Natalie didn't mind. His face made up for the fact.

"How's Herbology?" he asked, "I heard Cassie's enjoying it very much."

Natalie snorted. "That's only because she abuses our Professor into giving her better grades." Natalie skimmed the menu.

"Professor Longbottom, you mean?"

"Yeah," replied Natalie nonchalantly, even though her mind was going a million miles an hour at the notion of hearing his name.

David rolled his eyes. "Cassie can be a bitch sometimes."

"Tell me about it!" Natalie tore her eyes away from the menu and locked her gaze with his. "The other day in Charms, she completely told me off only because I let it slip that she had a crush on Callum to Judas. But, I mean, come on, who is Judas going to tell? He doesn't have very many friends, poor guy." Noticing the expression on David's face, she stopped herself. "Oh Merlin, I'm rambling, aren't I?"

David just laughed. "No, no," he reassured her. "It's just, I had no idea that Cassie liked Judas, considering all the guys that she's hooked up with."

Natalie joined in his laughter. "She does that to make him jealous. Which-"

"-doesn't work." David finished the sentence for her with a chuckle.

"Exactly!"

It was funny how easily Natalie and David talked. Everything about their conversations while sipping tea and Madame Puddifoot's just seemed to flow. From talking about classes, to gossip about friends, to discussing how their summers went. After a while, Natalie pulled her hand away from his as it grew sweaty. She was worried that he would be insulted, but he only smiled and shook of the feelings of insecurity. The two finished their tea and walked out together into the streets of Hogsmeade.

"What time is it?" David asked curiously.

"Three o'clock," said Natalie, checking her watch. "We don't need to be back until four."

"That's plenty of time," said David. Natalie looked up at him. His eyes were smoldering as he stared back. "Come on." He nodded his head towards the direction of the Shrieking Shack.

"Are you sure?" Natalie trembled as David led her down the path.

"Positive," replied David seductively.

Nervous, Natalie let David guide her towards the Shrieking Shack. They reached the chain-link fence and stopped, staring out at the crumbling house. Natalie pretended to be interested, even though she was extremely nervous leaning up against David's body. Without warning, David turned his body toward her. Natalie did the same, watching his skeptical eyes. Taking his time, David gently leaned down and brushed her lips against his. He smiled as he pulled away, fingers already wound in her hair.

Natalie smiled back.

* * *

A/N: _Let me know in the reviews section whether you're a David/Natalie shipper or a Neville/Natalie shipper. Please please please **review/favorite.** It kills me seeing all these people add my story to their favorites and story alerts, but I have had zero reviews so far. I wanna know how I'm doing! Lemme know. xoxo_


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

She was laughing. She was laughing with her head thrown back, allowing her face to take in the gorgeous September sky. Neville watched from the inside of the Three Broomsticks as David Chapman led her across the shaky path to Madame Puddifoot's. He watched as he opened the door for her, then led her to a small, round table from the entrance. Neville tore his jealous eyes away from the scene and returned to his firewhiskey. He opened his satchel and shifted through it as he searched for the letter that had come as quite a shock. Hannah had written him the other day with good news-good news for her, at least. Tom, the owner of the Leaky Cauldron, had just passed away and there had been an opening for his position as bartender and innkeeper. Hannah, who had been looking for work lately, responded immediately to the job opening article in The Daily Prophet. True to her confidence in securing the position, Hannah had been offered it immediately. The pay wasn't great, and now that she was the owner, Neville would have to support her more than ever. Neville's eyes glazed over as he read the letter that had come in the mail the other day. _Dearest Neville,_ blah blah blah... _Glad to hear you are doing well,_ blah blah blah... "Here it is," murmured Neville, his pointer finger trailing across the sentence that had made his heart drop.

_We can live above the pub!_

"God..." he whispered to himself. "How disgusting."

Ever since he was little, he paired the image of a woman working in a pub to a wench with long dreadlocks that did not keep the place very tidy. Hannah was obviously the opposite, but the image still sat stoutly in his mind.

Madame Rosmerta's clicking of her heels interrupted Neville's disgusted thoughts. He looked up into what was once a pretty face, but was now lined with laugh lines and wrinkles. "Well if it isn't Mr. Neville Longbottom," said Madame Rosmerta, smacking her gum. "What can I do for this young lad today?"

Neville smiled at her. "Another firewhiskey'll do the job, thanks."

She smiled back, obviously sensing that something was wrong. "Yeah, sure." She stalked off, humming to herself.

"Thanks," said Neville, a little too late.

The door chimes went off, and Neville looked over his shoulder to see a few new third years giggling excitedly about the prospect of being able to find themselves in Hogsmeade. One girl with a bad case of acne, braces and glasses sat at the table behind Neville. Neville had seated himself in the corner by the window so that he could people watch and think to himself. This new clique would ruin that, but he didn't bother moving.

"He is _so_ cute," said the ugly girl, clapping her hands together comically as she squirmed in her chair. There were two other girls with her. Neville was surprised he couldn't recognize them from his classes.

"Calm down, Susie," said a slightly older, just as unattractive girl. "It's just a guy."

"But he is _the_ guy!" Susie exclaimed as if this boy were the only thing worth living for. "It's _David Chapman_. The David Chapman!"

"Natalie is so lucky," agreed a third girl.

At the sound of Natalie's name, Neville's stomach lurched and his face burned. Why was he reacting like this? Natalie may have been a star student, but this was no reason to suddenly become quite embarrassed.

"I think it's kind of odd," said the older girl, "I mean, he is a year younger."

"So?" asked Susie. "And not a full year, just eleven months. There isn't anything wrong with that."

Neville strained his ears to listen harder. Not wanting to make it obvious that he was eavesdropping, he casually looked outside and watched the students mingle amongst themselves.

"No, no. I know that," said the older girl. "I just mean that there seems to be a gap in their maturity level. Natalie seems years beyond her age. Not in academics-she isn't the most prestine quill in the shop-but just simply in understanding how the world works. She isn't trying to acheive more than she can handle, which I applaud her. There just seems something about Natalie that just makes her seem like she's in her twenties. David, on the other hand, no matter how attractive he is, acts his age-sixteen. He jumps from girl to girl to girl without any thought about their feelings. Natalie seems to be looking for something more serious." The girl ended her rant rather precociously, sticking up her nose snobbishly.

The other two girls stared at her dumbly, mouths wide open at her dissection of the situation. Neville caught himself doing the same, and quickly snapped his mouth shut. He abruptly started staring out the window again.

Madame Rosmerta came back over with his firewhiskey, which he thanked her for. This brought the three girls' attention to him. The older, snobby girl smiled politely at him and asked, "Enjoying yourself Professor?"

"Very much."

He thought that would be the end of the conversation, but the girl stood and walked over, taking a seat at the table. Neville awkwardly adjusted in his seat. "Can I ask you something about my most recent essay?" she asked.

He nodded back as his answer.

"I don't understand why you took off points for my interpretation of why Mandrakes screamed. Obviously, it's because of the..." she continued to ramble, and Neville somehow managed to block out her voice. His eyes wandered outside yet again, just in time to spot Natalie and Chapman exiting Madame Puddifoot's, hand in hand. They stopped about three steps out, then Chapman led her away from the main road in the direction to the Shrieking Shack. Neville watched them disappear from sight, and refocused his attention to the girl whose name just escaped him. Was it Thalia? No, no that was the second ugly friend of hers that wasn't named Susie. Hmmm... Even though the girl's mouth was moving, no sound came out. At first, Neville thought something was wrong with his ears, but then he realized it was just because he didn't care enough to process her words. Oh, right her name... Kelly, was it? Kelsey? Kayla? Kayla! That was it. Kayla was the girl that stood in the front of the class and finished Neville's sentences for him while he lectured. He hated her. No wonder his mind had somehow blocked out the memory.

"In conclusion, I think you should give me points back for my outstanding comprehensive attentiveness to detail." She sat back in her chair with a triumphant grin.

"It's Kayla, right?" asked Neville.

Her smile faltered a bit, but she nodded.

"Tell you what, I'll take a look at it," he said, even though he knew he wouldn't.

"Thank you so much," Kayla stood and stuck out her hand. Neville just looked at it. Disappointed, Kayla let it fall to her side and returned to her friends.

Neville took a final sip of his firewhiskey. It was time for him to leave. He did not want to be badgered by other students about why they lost points on their essays. Leaving money on the table, he left the pub with a sad, puppy dog look on his face. Something had upset him, and he wasn't sure what.

He wandered throughout the village aimlessly, unsure of where he was going or if he was going anywhere. Honeydukes looked warm and inviting with the golden glow spilling out of it. Neville looked in the window longingly. There were rows upon rows of delicious chocolate frogs. Sugar Quills spilled over the vases that they were displayed in, and yummy caramel apples glistened in the light on the top shelf. Even though his mouth watered anxiously, he moved on up the hill.

Madame Puddifoot's was full of loving couples with the occasional fighting couple. One couple, he noticed, were sitting at the same table Chapman and Natalie had sat. The girl had a strained, upset expression on her face, while the boy's face was angry and red. He was trying to stop himself from screaming and upsetting the atmosphere in there. The girl seemed to be doing the same, talking quietly below her breath to him. Neville moved on.

The trees began to become thicker. He had no idea where he was going. His thoughts of living at the Leaky Cauldron consumed him. What people didn't know about him was that he wa a tidy man. Everything had to be pristine. The image of the Leaky Cauldron that he had in his mind was damp and dirty.

Soon, he realized where he was going. He was taking the path to the Shrieking Shack by accident. Noticing a familiar bobbing figure up ahead, he called out. "Professor McGonagall!"

The old lady turned around, her lips pursed. The tiny lady she was walking with was the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Her name was Professor Jade. She was of African descent, with smooth, ebony skin. She was in her mid-thirties with a short bob haircut. She smiled at Neville as he approached.

"Professor Longbottom," McGonagall addressed him appropriately. Neville would never get used to the title that she had bequeathed upon him.

"Would you care if I joined you two?" he asked politely.

"Not at all," said McGonagall, leading him and Professor Jade down the shaky path. To Neville's surprise, he noticed that she balanced herself quite efficiently.

"What brings you here?" Professor Jade swung her hands by her hips.

"Boredom, I suppose," responded Neville. "The castle, no matter how big it seems, doesn't offer much company."

Professor Jade laughed, "No, I suppose it doesn't."

The two chatted nicely down the path, before it opened up to the view of the Shrieking Shack. But the vision was obscurred by something else.

"Oh my!" remarked Professor Jade, slapping her hand across her heart.

"What-" Neville stopped short at the sight of two intertwined students, snogging right by the chain-link fence. They broke apart at the sound of Professor Jade's comment, looking thoroughly flushed.

"Miss Darwin, Mr. Chapman?" McGonagall addressed them calmly. Neville, on the other hand, was outraged! How rude of them to snog in a public place, with no courtesy of how the onlookers reacted.

Natalie's jaw dropped, and she began making excuses immediately. "Professor! I am so sorry, we didn't know-" she went on rambling, while Chapman just leaned against the fence, looking quite amused with himself. Neville locked eyes with him. Chapman's eyes danced with joy at being able to score with Natalie Darwin. Neville noticed the act. Chapman probably acted like such the gentlemen around Natalie, when he was really only probably a player.

"We thought no one would come!" Natalie finished, anguished at the sight of having three Professors watch her during a very private moment.

"All I can say, m'dear, is to pick a more secluded thoughts for more secluded moments next time," McGonagall advised her.

"Thank you so much for understanding," Natalie ran forward as if she was about to give her a hug, but stopped herself and straightened out her jacket in courtesy. Professor McGonagall gave her a tight smile, turned on her heel, and walked away with Professor Jade by her side, leaving Neville behind with the lovebirds. As soon as the two Professors disappeared from sight, chatting animatedly, Neville turned to find Chapman trying to pull Natalie in for another kiss. Natalie pulled away, pushing against his shoulders.

"How are you Miss Darwin?" Neville asked, deciding to play up his authority as much as possible to stop them from continuing their activity. He walked over to the chain-link fence, propping his elbows up on it and looking out into the distance.

"Fine, and you Professor?" she joined him by the fence, about four feet away. "Sorry to ask, but would you happen to know the time?"

Neville glanced sideways to find her hiding her left wrist from him. She owned a watch, that much he knew. Smiling in spite of himself, Neville slicked out his wrist. "Four-fifteen," he said.

"Thanks," said Natalie, pushing away from the fence and walking over to Chapman. He could hear her quiet voice whisper to him in an attempt to keep their conversation unheard.

"We should get going, now," she whispered. "If we want to make it back in time."

Chapman whispered back. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," she said. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her hands disappear under the collar of her shirt. "Unless you don't want to continue what we started..."

At that, Chapman grabbed her hand and led her away from the clearing quickly.

Natalie called back over her shoulder, "See you tomorrow, Professor!" She waved.

Neville turned around and waved back courteously, without muttering a word.

He turned back to the shack. It stood, slumping in an eerie silence. Neville looked down at his intertwined hands.

Without warning, a monster growled in his stomach. A jealous monster. He looked down at it curiously.

His mind wandered back to what he thought might take place back in the castle between Natalie and Chapman.

_She would push him onto the couch._

_He'd pull her into his lap._

_They'd snog._

_He'd take off her shirt._

_She'd unbutton his._

Neville's face grew hot at the inappropriate images swirling around his brain. The thing that didn't disturb him was the fact that he knew Chapman and Natalie would be... hooking up. The thing that annoyed him to no end was how jealous he felt of Chapman.

Those should be his lips pushed up against hers. His chest breathing rapidly against her own. His fingers tangled in her hair. Her hands running down his back.

"NO!" he shouted angrily to the sky.

This was _not_ happening.

He was _not_ falling for a student.

He would _not_.

At least, that was what he was telling himself as he limped back sadly to the village.

Because, truth be told, he was falling head over heels for Natalie Darwin.

* * *

A/N: _Tell me what you think of this chapter! I'm not sure if I like or not. I can always change it! The next chapter, you'll get to know Natalie's thoughts on kissing David. You'll also be able to watch as Natalie falls for a certain someone... ;) Get excited! By the way, **please please please please please please pleas REVIEW! **Like I said last time, it kills me watching people add the story to their favorites and story alerts and get zero reviews. Anyway, I'm signing off. xoxox_


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

His lips against hers felt... Wrong. All wrong. They were scratchy and moved much too fast. His hand was too forceful while moving down the small of her back, while the other tangled her hair, causing her to flinch in pain of him pulling and tugging on it. She felt him leg hitch around her waist and felt extremely out of place. Shouldn't the girl be doing the leg-hitch?

Natalie pushed against David's chest to pull away, but he pushed closer to her, trying to get as much action as possible. Natalie decided to wait it out. She waited as his hand shook below the hem of her shirt, trembling on the small of her back. She waited as his lips became more forceful, trying to force his tongue further in. She waited as he whispered her name against her lips, full of wanting and lust.

Natalie was not as aggressive as him. She had her lips pursed, trying to end the snog session. Her hands remained on the back of his neck, unmoving. Her legs remained closed next to him. Her eyes were open.

"Natalie," David breathed against her. Feeling uncomfortable, Natalie seized the opportunity and pulled her lips from his. He opened his blue eyes, looking at her, confused.

"I think that's enough for tonight," said Natalie, shyly looking down at her lap.

"You sure?" David moved his lips to her neck. As his lips made their way down to her collarbone, Natalie shifted her position so that she was now sitting facing the other way. She felt his hands move to her stomach, lifting up her shirt slightly.

"_Stop_," said Natalie decidedly, and, taking his hands in her own, she turned around to face him, eye to eye. "I said that's enough."

She watched as his eyes immediately filled with guilt, but also desire to continue his act. Something about this new side she was seeing to him rubbed her the wrong way, both physically and emotionally. "We've only been on one date."

"I know," said David, abashed. "But we've known each other for five years."

A thousand thoughts swirled in Natalie's mind as she searched for the correct response. As soon as they had kissed by the Shrieking Shack, she knew something about them being together wasn't right. Even when he had held her hand in Hogsmeade, it was always clammy. The Shrieking Shack kiss was the worst, though. She could take clammy hand holding, but not terrible kissing. His lips were too... rushed. Too amateur. Natalie felt awful thinking these thoughts. Ideally, David was the perfect guy, but... They were better off as friends.

She couldn't tell him that though. She couldn't crush his newfound dreams that she could see forming in his head, in his smile, and in his aggressiveness. Forming different responses, she thought to herself.

_I could tell him that I like someone else_. No, too cruel.

_I could tell him that I am a lesbian_. But when he sees me with someone else?

_I could tell him... the truth._

Natalie had decided on the last explanation to give as to why she didn't want to consider seeing him or even consider dating him. She was about to open her mouth, when, suddenly, David took his point finger and pressed it up against her lips. "Shh," he whispered. "No words."

Natalie stared awkwardly down at his finger, her eyebrows knotting together, confused. She thought that guys only did this in Muggle movies!

"Uhh," she said, finally standing. It was about one in the morning, and they were in the Common Room. They hadn't gotten back from Hogsmeade around four, just on time, in order to make it to their next class. Natalie finished up her Charms work and met him back in the Great Hall. They sat together, as usual, but more eyes were watching them. David seemed to enjoy the attention, but Natalie wanted to crawl into a deep, dark hole and never resurface. Normally, she was used to people watching her, but this time it was different. Before, it had been girls wanting to _be_ her. But, now, it was like girls wanted to _kill_ her.

After dinner, David led her back to the Gryffindor Common Room where they chatted with their friends. Thank god, no one asked or pried about their current status. They probably thought that they would understand it eventually. Once everyone had gone up to bed, Natalie had recommended that they do the same, but David pinned her against the couch and started kssing her. It was a half hour past midnight then. It was now precisely one-oh-four.

"I'm tired," she said quickly. Perfect, thought Natalie, moving to the staircase silently. "See you in the morning." She whipped around and started sprinting up the staircase. Suddenly, however, the stairs turned into a slick slide that caused Natalie to lose her balance. Before falling over, she saw that David was trying to follow her up the stairs. She knew the stairs were bewitched to only allow female witched up to the dormitories, but she hadn't expected David to come up after her.

Natalie slid down the stairs into David's arms. He caught her, laughing.

Natalie stared at him in shock. _Why is he laughing?_ Her leg felt bruised, and she suspected that she sprained her wrist. A visit to Madame Pomfrey would be in order tomorrow morning.

Creeped out, Natalie struggled to get to her feet, but felt a sharp pain in her knee. "Ouch!" she exclaimed, collapsing once again.

"Are you okay?" David hovered over her, his dark hair hanging in his eyes.

_Oh, now you care,_ thought Natalie. "I'm fine," she snapped angrily, limping to the wall and supporting herself with the railing.

"Sorry about that," David flipped his hair with a cocky head shake.

"I'm fine," repeated Natalie.

"I didn't know it would turn into a slide..." he lied. Natalie knew he was lying. He had read _Hogwarts, A History_ cover to cover at least a thousand times. Natalie knew for a fact that it stated somewhere in there that the stairs were bewitched because the founders felt that girls were more trustworthy than boys.

"Yes, you did," said Natalie, trying to make her way up the stairs.

David was silent as he watched her struggled to make her way up.  
"Crap," muttered Natalie over her morning coffee. It steamed her face, but she relished in the fact that it warmed her up. Fall was slowly getting cooler by each passing day, and it felt nice to get a blast of heat. Pursing her lips, she took a gentle sip from the mug, loving the way the bitter drink trailed down her throat.

Natalie was looking over her Saturday schedule. She had yet to have it memorized. So far, her morning consisted of Herbology and Potions. This normally wouldn't bother her, but it was until now that she realized that David had discontinued his act of doing her homework since she asked him out on Thursday. Thursday night, she had to finish up her Astronomy homework by herself. She got it back yesterday only to receive a 72%. Needless to say, she was mightily disappointed.

Her schedule mocked her. She had been able to complete her Potions work yesterday morning, but Herbology had seemed to avoid her doing. Now thinking about it, she remembered the awkwardness of meeting Professor Longbottom by the Shrieking Shack the other day. Not only had he walked in on her and David, er, snogging, but he had also stayed to stare at the Shrieking Shack! He just stood there, and watched it, as if it brought back some fondled memories or something. Natalie had tried to be polite and chat with him for a bit. Why was it that whenever she was anywhere but her classes, she seemed to stumble upon him? It was odd, as if they were destined to constantly stray into each other's paths.

Natalie giggled to herself about her peevish thoughts, trying to shake the odd feeling taking over her as she thought about Professor Longbottom.

She blushed. Carefully looking over her shoulder, she peered to the Head Table. McGonagall sat drearily in the middle, obviously sporting a migraine. Natalie's eyes flew down the row to Professor Longbottom, who happened to be watching her as well. Contrary to dinner a while ago, Natalie gazed at him. He gazed back. Neither of them seemed to have the heart to look away. Natalie's breath caught. Neville flushed.

"Hey, Nat!"

Natalie turned to the entrance to spot Cassie waving excitedly from the end. Natalie smiled back, then waved her over. When she looked back to Professor Longbottom, he was standing to go to his classroom to set up.

"How was yesterday?" Cassie asked, plopping down next to her, smacking her lips with the spearmint gum she was chewing on. Cassie had a thing for Muggle candies.

"What about yesterday?" Natalie asked absentmindedly, taking another sip of her coffee. "Quite a bit happened yesterday."

"Like, your snog session with David yesterday!" Cassie took a piece of bread from the tray in front of her. She spit her gum into a nearby paper napkin.

"Oh," said Natalie. "It was... good."

Cassie noticed her friend's hesitance at answering. "Tell me the truth," she said as she buttered her bread.

"I mean," Natalie began her rant, "It's not like he's an awful kisser. Something just happened. Like, for example, when we were snogging by the Shrieking Shack, everything about the moment felt off. It was as if I should have waited to kiss him, yeah? And then, when all of you lot went up to bed, he kind of forced himself on me: something a boy should definitely not do. It felt like I was doing him a favor more than two people who like each other just casually snogging. If that makes any sense..." Natalie trailed off.

Cassie nodded. She took a large bite of her bread. Mouth full, she spoke, "Perfect sense."

Natalie grinned. This was why Cassie was her best friend. She understood everything Natalie said, no matter how dumb or confusing it was.

"Sounds like you two are better off as friends."

The casual air of their conversation was gone, and now Cassie was examining Natalie's face.

"I think you like someone else, anyway," said Cassie, dropping the serious tone.

"Do not!" Natalie protested, shoving bacon in her mouth.

"Do too," Cassie said, laughing.

Natalie's eyes trailed over to Professor Longbottom, who was just exiting the Great Hall.

"I have to go," Natalie said quickly, leaving her friend in the dust as she adjusted her bag over her shoulder. She sprinted down the Great Hall in an effort to catch up with Professor Longbottom. She turned right to near the courtyard and exit the castle. She saw his disappearing figure up ahead. "Professor!" Natalie shouted. He turned, shocked.

"Nat-Miss Darwin?" The Professor caught himself mid-sentence of calling her by her first name, Natalie noticed. She smiled in spite of herself.

"I have to talk to you," said Natalie as she caught up with him.

"Yeah?" Longbottom said. Natalie noticed how casually he spoke, unlike her other Professors.

"So, about the homework..." Natalie gulped, afraid to continue.

"What about it?"

They stood by the courtyard, which was surprisingly empty, by the archway. Natalie leaned against an opposite arch from Professor Longbottom, while he towered over her. It was almost menacing, even though Natalie knew he didn't mean it that way.

"I forgot to do it," said Natalie. She bit her lip, anticipating his response.

"Really?" Longbottom ran a hand through his hair, looking thoroughly relieved. He had no idea what that did to Natalie's stomach, when he did that. It sent it erupting into flames. "That's so unlike you."

Natalie held back a laugh. If only he knew that half of her work wasn't hers. She cheated on the tests, had David to her homework, and just didn't say anything in class to avoid compromising her good grades. "I was wondering if I could turn it in late tomorrow?"

He thought for a moment. "I suppose it's fine," he shrugged his strong shoulders. "You've been pretty good about homework, so I can let it slide."

Natalie breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you so much," she said. "I was worried you wouldn't let me."

Professor Longbottom nodded curtly to her, walking away. Natalie watched his cloak swish around the corner as he left the castle, wanting him to turn around so badly and continue talking to her. Drained, she slid down the pillar of the arch, head looking up to the clouds. She felt as if she could die happy, being able to hold a conversation with him for two minutes, at least. Suddenly, as if by magic, the clouds parted above her, allowing rays of sunshine to wash down upon her.

Natalie no longer felt the cold of Autumn. She felt the warmth of an exciting new year.

* * *

A/N: _Hey all! Thank you for reading another chapter of _The Affair. _It means a lot. I'm actually working on the a lot more frequently than I originally thought I would. I hope you guys liked the minor fluff between Neville and Natalie. I like them more. You also got to see a new side of David that he had hidden from Natalie for five years. I would like to give a shout out to my first reviewer: _**Chrissie_DeKourson. **_Thank you so much for reviewing! It means a lot, and I'm glad to see that you're enjoying it. Anyway, I would like to end my chapters as I normally do with a beg for ya'll to review. **PLEASE REVIEW! **So far there have been like 10+ story alerts/favorites and only one review. **Please review.** xoxoxo_


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Why was it that Natalie Darwin caught Neville's eyes more consistently than any other student? Was it her shiny blonde hair? The way she laughed? Or her crystal blue eyes that sparkled at him from her seat at the long Herbology table? Neville couldn't place it. Everything about Natalie seemed... Enticing. Lovely to behold. But he couldn't 'behold' her. He was engaged. He was her teacher. She was underage.

Neville tightened his fists at the front of the room, watching the class as they chatted amiably amongst themselves. He watched Delaney make idiotic jokes about the Gryffindors and how ridiculous most of the classes were. He watched the quiet Judas kid talk to himself as his peers ignored him. Neville's heart ached for the poor boy. It was like a cloned personality of his own when he was in Hogwarts.

Neville tore his thoughts away from Judas and to the heavy weight of parchment in his front robes pocket. It weighed him down like a ton. He reached into his pocket and pulled it out, unfolding it for what felt like the thousandth time. His fingers brushed against the stiff paper, then read the sentence that he had the other day at the Three Broomsticks. It took no time finding it, as it was now committed to memory.

_We can live above the pub!_

Why was this sentence irking Neville so? A few months ago, he would have been fine moving in with his dear Hannah and maintaining the Leaky Cauldron with her as husband and wife. But, now, for some strange reason, the thought repulsed him. The Leaky Cauldron was one of his favorite places as a kid! No matter how much he wanted to support Hannah, he just couldn't bring himself to. What was stopping him?

The answer to this question, of course, was standing right before his eyes, blushing under the gaze of adoring classmates. Neville refused to believe it though. He just needed some time to accept the fact that The Leaky Cauldron was now his new home.

"Professor, are we going to start soon?" asked a tall, gangly boy with short dark hair.

"Sorry," Neville mumbled, hurriedly stabbing the parchment back in his pocket, only, he missed, sending it flying to the floor. "Oops," said Neville as he bent over to retrieve it. The class laughed. Neville tried again, this time successful, placing it in the pocket full of late notes.

"Er, well, hello," began Neville. He was about to continue when Natalie caught his eye and smiled encouragingly. This threw him off, and he made quite a few blunders in his opening lecture. "Today we'll be learning about Smargaruffs-no, Snargavumps-Snartelumps? That can't be right..." he leafed through his textbook. "Swargalumps! No, er, Snargaluffs, that's it!"

The class rumbled with laughter as his cheeks turned a light pink.

"The Snargaluff is a plant with the appearance of a gnarled slump... I mean, stump... but it hides dangerous thorn-covered vines that defend... no, attack... when provoked and is usually best handled by more than three... no, one... persons. It contains black-no grey-green pulsating pods about the size of a grapefruit which can be exterminated-extracted." Neville finished this with now crimson red cheeks. "So..." he gestured to three different plants in the middle of the long table. "Who can identify the Snargaluff of these three plants?"

Nobody raised their hand.

"Nobody?" Neville's palms grew steady. He normally was this nervous, but never let it show to the class. His class was usually more attentive. "Anyone at all?" Still no one. "Oh, okay... In that case-" Natalie threw her fist into the air bravely. Neville stopped short in his sentence and looked at her. Should he call on her or continue? Would it be weird if he did? Of course not, he thought. She is your student.

"Hannah, what do you think?" asked Neville. As soon as he said it, he regretted it. Why did he just call her Hannah? There was no need for him to do that! And everyone in the entire school knew that he was engaged to Hannah Abbott. Luckily, the students only shifted uncomfortably and let out a few snorts. Natalie flushed.

"It's Natalie," she corrected him.

"Of course," Neville's cheeks went to crimson to purple in a nanosecond. "Nata-Miss Darwin, what do you think?"

Natalie thought for a moment, biting her lip. Neville sighed silently to himself. If only she knew what that did to him-her biting her lip. It sent his mind on a rollercoaster. He gulped.

"The one on the left," decided Natalie. She pointed to it.

"Correct," said Neville, who walked around the table and retrieved in from its spot. Bringing it to the front of the class, he asked her. "How did you know that?"

Natalie paused before answering, "I-er-I..." another pause. "I always guess the one on the left."

There she went again, biting her lip. Neville almost didn't hear her reasoning. Once he processed it however, he smiled and gave a sigh of laughter. "That's one way, I suppose." This began a five-minute long lecture on how to identify a Snargaluff.

The rest of the class was pretty uneventful, aside from Neville's usual mistakes of calling people by the wrong name and switching words around. Neville talked about how to avoid injury when handling Snargaluffs, how to break open and extract the contents, and how to treat injury inflicted when handling them. It was a very interesting lesson, from Neville's point of view, but the rest of the class looked like they'd rather be under torture from a Dark wizard. When the bell rang signaling the end of class, the students nearly sprinted out, excited to get to their next class. Neville knew that their next class was Potions. He was almost insulted that they'd rather be there.

In an attempt to push the thought from his mind, he began gathering his supplies together for the next time. He moved the Snargaluff plant back to its position on the table and returned to his desk. He was so immersed in tidying up that he didn't even notice that a certain student had hung behind. Looking up in shock, he realized it was Natalie.

"Oh, er, hi," said Neville awkwardly, "Can I help you?"

Natalie smiled, "Yes."

"Oh, great," Neville moved behind his desk and tried to put his quill back in its place, but his hands were trembling too badly. He took a deep breath a calmly set it back down. "What can I help you with?"

Natalie shifted her weight from side to side, "You know how you gave me the extension on the homework assignment?"

Neville nodded. How could he forget? It had just had this morning, and the memory stuck to his mind like glue. "Yeah?"

"I need help on it," said Natalie. "Normally, I would try and attempt it on my own, but-"

"Don't worry about it," Neville cut her off. "I can help you. What class are you supposed to be heading to right now?" He asked this even though he already knew. He just wanted as much time as possible with her, even if that time were only a few extra seconds.

"Potions," replied Natalie.

"When do you think you'd be able to meet with me for tutoring?" asked Neville, trying to take in every feature of her: the slight curve of her nose, the confident look in her posture, and the way she rocked on her heels.

"Tutoring?" Natalie asked, almost enraged. "No, that's not what I meant. I just need a little help on the assignment!" She seemed jumpy about tutoring. In her life, she probably never needed to seek help from a teacher. Natalie looked capable enough, and, if she wasn't, her classmates were kissing the ground she walked on. She could easily let them do the brunt of the work.

"Well, in that case, when do you think you'll be able to meet with me for _help on your assignment_?" It came out more sarcastic than Neville had originally anticipated, but Natalie giggled all the same.

"Anytime after lunch works for me," said Natalie, playing with a few strings of her hair, braiding them.

"One o'clock to two o'clock then?" suggested Neville, grabbing a spare bit of parchment paper and jotting down the time.

"Sounds perfect," grinned Natalie happily. "Thank you so much; I really need the help."

"What are teachers for?" Neville asked, smirking back.

Natalie laughed, "See you then."

"See you," said Neville, watching her leave as the bell rang signaling whoever arrived after it would be counted as tardy. "Wait, Natalie!" He called after her.

No response.

"Natalie!" He ran from the greenhouse, onto the grounds to see her disappearing into the light fog. He chased after her. "Natalie," he said when he caught up with her.

She turned, expectant, with a jubilant smile plastered on her face. She couldn't look more pleased to see him.

He grinned back. She was so perfect, it hurt his heart.

"What is it?"

"You forgot your late note," Neville pulled a piece of parchment from his robe with black ink slanted across it.

"Oh," Natalie took it, looking slightly crestfallen.

"One o'clock?" asked Neville imploringly, just as a light sprinkle began to drizzle down on them.

"One o'clock!" Natalie called over her shoulder as she ran off into the distance to the castle.  
Natalie rushed down the corridor to make it to Potions in time. Portraits wished by as they tried to yell out to her, a few cheering her on. The dungeons were on almost the opposite side of the grounds from the Herbology greenhouses, so it was going to take her a while. She slowed down since her heart felt like it was about to burst from her chest. Natalie ran her hands through her hair, accidentally dropping the late pass in the process. She sighed as she bent over to pick it up, only to realize that it was more than one pieces of parchment folded up together. Looped writing covered the pages as if it were a letter.

Curious, Natalie sat on the ground in the middle of the corridor and organized the letter. She shuffled through the pages, skimming them. Turning to the first page, she read:

_My dearest Neville,_

Natalie's heart lept.

_So glad to hear you are doing well. Life back in London has been off. Finding a job has seemed to taken me forever without your help. Your connections would really do me some good right now._

_Father is as sick as ever. I'll send you an owl if I receive any other news._

_Yours,_  
_Hannah._

Natalie stared at the letter, realizing what she was possessing in her hands. Neville's own personal life at her fingertips for her to read. She could either continue reading or turn around and return it to Neville. Her instinct to told her to finish the other three letters he had kept in his robes, but, after a minute of deliberation, she folded the parchment back up and stuck it in her bag. There would be too much guilt clouding her brain if she had decided to finish the letters. No matter how much she wanted to know about Professor Longbottom, she couldn't read them. She just couldn't.

Turning around, she began to walk the quarter of a mile back to the greenhouses to give him his letters and receive her late pass. The portraits screamed at her, as usual, as she passed by, a whole lot of them wondering what she was doing and why she kept meandering around.

As she exited the castle and made her way through the fog and misting rain, she noticed Neville's figure coming closer to her. Why was he coming from the greenhouses?

"Professor?" Natalie called. The figure stopped for a moment, then jogged over. As the face came closer, Natalie realized it was David.

Shit, she thought to herself. Natalie had half-purposely left breakfast early that morning so that she would specifically not have a run in with him. Her plans had obviously fallen through as he waved wildly to her with a comical grin on his face.

"Nat!" said David, scooping her up in his arms and spinning her around.

"Hey," murmured Natalie in protest, trying to squirm out of his tight grip.

"I tried to sit with you at breakfast this morning, but you were running out of the Great Hall before I could!" exclaimed David, perfectly oblivious.

"Oh?" said Natalie, distracted. "I didn't see you..." her sentence trailed.

"I didn't think so," replied David. His hands cupped her cheeks. "Merlin, you're freezing. Let's get you in the castle to some warm air."

"No thanks," Natalie said, pulling away from his guiding arms. "I was trying to deliver a letter to Professor Longbottom."

"A letter?" asked David.

"Yes, er, it got lost in the mail and Professor McGonagall asked me to give it to him," Natalie quickly thought up her lie in order to cover her tracks. It would be odd if David found out she was holding a piece of the Herbology teacher's social life that he had given to her.

"I thought you were in Potions," David cocked his head, obviously suspicious of her.

"Oh," the wheels of Natalie's head spun. "Yes, that's right. I was heading there, but McGonagall stopped me and asked me to give it him. Which I should be doing..." Natalie turned to go back to the greenhouse.

"I'll come with you!" said David. "I'm in his class anyway, but he gave me permission to use the loo." He swung his arm over her shoulder. Normally, Natalie would have loved to have her boyfriend escort her to class, but something about David doing it felt wrong, just like kissing her. His arm felt too heavy draped across her back. Oh, well. It was better than holding her hand. Just as Natalie thought that, David dropped his arm from her shoulders and grabbed her limp hand. Natalie looked at him in surprise, but he just smiled.

David open the door for her, letting a warm blast of air blow her hair back. Neville turned to see who was walking in and blinked in surprise at the image of Natalie. His eyes flickered down to her hand, which was clasped by David's even though hers fell limp. She noticed that he became rather flustered.

"Er, Nat-I mean, Miss Darwin?" Neville's hands began to shake.

"Professor McGonagall asked me to give you this letter that was accidentally delivered to her," Natalie dug around in her bag and pulled out the heavy parchment, handing it to him. Neville took it and examined it. When he realized what it was, he became so adjitated that he accidentally knocked over a pot of soil, sending it crashing to the floor.

Neville pulled out his wand and waved it at the catastrophic site. The pieces of pot immediately mended themselves.

"Er, thanks, Miss Darwin," Neville said, embarrassed.

Natalie nodded to him. "Can I have a late pass?" she asked.

He nodded back, "Of course." He grabbed a spare bit of parchment and jotted down something. He handed it to her and she read it.

_Please excuse Miss Natalie Darwin. 9/31._

Below that, he had signed it with a rather slanty signature.

"Thanks," said Natalie, pulling it into her pocket. Neville smiled slightly.

"Professor, if you wouldn't mind, would it be alright if I walked Natalie to class?" David asked Neville. He obviously thought the Professor would say yes, as he was normally such a pushover and so easy-going. However, Neville's face became rather red and his hands began to shake more than ever.

"Er, I'd rather you stay in class, David," Neville said very forcefully.

"It would only take-" David began to say, but Natalie cut him off.

"It's okay, David," said Natalie. "I know where the Potions classroom is, I can get there on my own."

David looked frustrated, but walked back to his seat, leaving the spectating class in awe as to what just happened. Natalie, before leaving, nodded to Neville, ignoring the kiss that David blew her from the back of the room.

Before the closed the door, however, Neville looked at her with an expression she had never seen before. It was one that was tainted with sadness and longing all at once. She clicked the door shut and left, feeling rather ansty about the whole situation that had just ensued.

As she crossed the grounds, she couldn't help but grin at how excited she was for her study session with Professor Longbottom would be.

It would be an event to remember.

* * *

A/N: _This is a longer chapter, I know. Sorry for the extreme fluff, but I really loved the whole jealous thing going on between Neville, Natalie, David and Hannah. It's like a four-way love triangle. Anyway, I'm excited for the tutoring session going on in the afternoon. I'll try to update as soon as possible. A few questions: Are the chapters too long or too short? Is the story line okay? Is it too slow-paced or too fast-paced? I'm really self-conscious about my writing. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE **REVIEW! **I have three reviews so far which kinda helped shape this chapter with explaining why Neville was upset about the Leaky Cauldron. **REVIEWS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED. **xoxoxo_


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

One o'clock. Normally at one o'clock, Natalie would head up to her Common Room. She'd meet David, Cassie and Callum before looking over her homework. Not that she ever did it-that was one of the downfalls of Natalie Darwin. She always procrastinated her work, putting it off until the very last minute. It worked for her. Today, however, she was actually going to be doing something productive. Of course, it would be a challenge for her to stay concentrated, but that would be alright. She'd make it work.

Neville straightened up his office for what felt like the thousandth time. Natalie Darwin was lucky that he didn't have a class today, or else they never would have been able to meet. Glancing over his office one last time, he noticed some owl droppings in Gage's cage. He jumped at the sight, then waved his wand with a flourish. The droppings hovered in the air for a second, then dropped. Neville sighed. He was never very good at house-cleaning spells. He walked over to the cage and opened the nearby window. Shaking out the feces, he glanced up to make sure no one was watching him struggle with being a wizard. Instead of finding this, he found Natalie exiting the castle. She had a casual air about her, her hair blowing out behind her and her robes billowing in the wind. Natalie was fighting a large smile, he could tell, causing himself to bite one back. She looked so beautiful that all he could do was stare.

When she finally disappeared from his line of vision, Neville quickly replaced the cage. Gage was off on a run to deliver his latest letter to Hannah. He had tried to make it as honest as possible, talking about how buying the Leaky Cauldron might affect their futures together. He so hoped it wasn't too forward of him. But they were engaged. Didn't his opinion matter as well?

The knock of his door made him flinch. His breath became rapid as he smoothed out his shirt and turned to answer it. Taking a deep breath, he turned the doorknob and put on the cool act of a Professor. "Good afternoon, Natalie," said Neville as he opened the door. Natalie stood on the other side, wearing a large grin and shining eyes.

"Hey," she said, trying to look around him and into his office. Neville politely stepped aside so that she could enter, but she remained on the opposite side, looking nervous.

"You can come in, you know," recommended Neville.

Natalie smiled, laughing shyly. "Right," she said, taking a careful step over the doorstep, but she tripped instead. Neville quickly caught her in his arms. "Oh," Natalie said, looking up at him. He grinned in spite of himself. Their chest were pressed together, and Neville's arms were wrapped around her, giving off a warmth that never happened with Hannah. Natalie's face was beet-red, so Neville released her. Natalie stumbled back a bit when he did so, so he grabbed her hand to steady her.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his face serious and caring.

Natalie's mind went a million miles an hour. No, she thought. But she smiled and nodded instead, "Yeah, I'm fine," she said, laughing it off. "I'm a klutz."

Neville chuckled slightly, offering her the seat at the table he had brought in. It sat stoutly under the window where he had just emptied his owl's droppings. "If you think you're a klutz, you should have seen me back in Hogwarts," Neville took the opposite seat.

"Yeah?" asked Natalie. She pulled out her books while she spoke, "I highly doubt that for some reason."

Neville raised an eyebrow. "Really? Have you not seen me trip all the time in class? I'm like a clown out there."

Natalie shook with laughter. "No you aren't, you're just nervous."

Neville paused before answering, "I'm nervous all the time then."

"Hard to believe," said Natalie. She flipped through the pages of her book before finding the section that they would be working on today. "You have hardly anything to be nervous about."

"Ha," snorted Neville. "I made such a fool of myself back in my school days. I once brought this plant on the Hogwarts Express during my fifth year that exploded all over Harry Potter. It was green puss that covered him all over," Natalie's jaw dropped as he continued, "It was absolutely awful, considering the girl he had a crush on-Cho Chang-walked in right after it happened." Natalie seemed torn between laughing or asking all about Harry Potter. Neville noticed and gave her a small smile. "You can ask about him, it's okay. Everybody does."

Hannah especially. Sometimes Neville could swear she loved Harry more than Neville himself.

Natalie shook her head, "No, no, I probably know all I need to. He saved the world, blah blah blah." Natalie scanned the book.

"Well," began Neville. "There's actually a lot more to him than that."

"Doubtful."

"You seem to doubt everything, you know that?" Neville noticed. "Everything I've said today, you seem to turn away the thought of it being true."

Natalie thought for a moment, "You're right. Tell me about Harry Potter if you wish then."

"Only if you want," said Neville.

"I'd like to know what I haven't heard," Natalie tore her eyes away from the book and locked them with Neville's. She propped her elbow up on the table and sat her chin in it, waiting patiently.

"Alright," said Neville. "He was actually a really great guy. He was one of the few classmates of mine that was actually kind to me. Harry included me in a lot of activities, including, the whole defeating You-Know-Who part," It was ten years later and Neville still couldn't bring himself to utter Voldemort's name.

"Really?" Natalie leaned forward, interested. "I know how you helped of course. You had the sword of Gryffindor and cut off the snake thingy's head, right?"

Neville chuckled at Natalie's lack of vocabulary. "Right. The sword presented itself to me in my time of need... It does that to those who truly deserve it. So I took it and chopped the snake thingy's head off."

Natalie giggled at Neville's allusion to how she asked the question. "Why the snake though?" she continued her questions. "What was so important about killing the snake?"

Neville weighed his answers for a moment. It was a huge importance that he never shared the information about the horcruxes of Voldemort. But Natalie seemed trustworthy, and, as long as he stressed the importance of never telling anyone. Neville was about to go that route, before heading down another. He was going to play up the whole mystery of it. "I'm not at liberty to say," Neville said mystically. "All I can tell you is that as long as I killed the snake, then You-Know-Who would face his downfall."

"That's really cool, you know," she said casually. "That you can tell people that story of how you changed the course of the Wizarding World forever."

"Well, you know," Neville said, shrugging and leaning back in his chair with an air of importance.

Natalie sneered, "Don't go getting a big head just because I said that, now."

"What, me?" asked Neville sarcastically. "Never."

There was actually some truth to his words. Neville was typically a humble man. He just enjoyed playing up his part about his role in Harry Potter's life.

Natalie enjoyed the sarcasm. She looked him over with appreciative blue eyes. He was so honest, so kind, so loyal. Like she ever had a chance with him. Natalie wouldn't even admit to herself the crush she had on him.

"Can I ask you something?" Natalie interrupted his sudden concentration on his 'To-Do List' for the study session.

Neville looked up in surprise. "Of course."

"What was the first thing you did after the Battle of Hogwarts?"

For once, it was a question that took Neville off guard. Normally people asked the run-of-the-mill expected questions, but Natalie seemed truly interested in his experience, and not just what happened.

He paused, processing it. "I-uh..." he thought for a moment. "I sat down... soaked in all in. There wasn't a lot of cheering, despite what people tell you. Everything just kind of ended. Don't get me wrong, people were happy, overwhelmed with happiness. We just didn't know what to do with ourselves. So I sat and thought." He finished rather self-consciously.

Natalie nodded, comprehending it all.

"That's probably what I would do. I mean, how else are you supposed to react after something so traumatizing?" Natalie casually added.

Neville stared at her in shock. She was the first person that ever seemed to understand what he was trying to get across to whoever was listening. Hannah understood, of course, because she had been there. But she wasn't the one who helped defeat him, so the feelings had to be different between the two. Natalie seemed to understand though, as she surveyed Neville with wide eyes.

"Yeah," said Neville, turning away from her. He was scaring himself with the feelings that were bubbling in his stomach. "Anyway, we should get to work."

"Right," Natalie snapped her attention back to her book.

"What do you need help with?" Neville inquired. He leaned over so he could read what was in her book. It was obvious he was trying to get as close as possible, but the fact went straight over Natalie's head.

Natalie sighed and collapsed back in her chair, exasperated. "Everything!" She threw her hands up in the air with impatience.

"Everything?" asked Neville, surprised. "But you've done so well on exams and homework and such."

"I know," said Natalie mysteriously.

"So what's the problem?" he asked.

"Nothing," murmured Natalie. She leaned forward in her chair again and refocused her attention. "Let's just go over the previous lesson, shall we?"

"Alright," obliged Neville. "So, Snargaluffs?"

"That," nodded Natalie, "And whatever it was before... I forgot exactly what it was."

"You forgot?" Neville's eyes probably looked like they were bugging out of his head. Natalie was such a hard-worker in his class. Her eyes were always trained on his. She always did homework. She aced the tests! "How did you forget?"

Natalie looked down and picked at a fingernail, "I've had a lot on my mind lately," she said.

"Enough to keep you away from your studies?" Neville tried not to sound incredulous, but it was hard. Natalie seemed like the kind of girl that had it all figured out.

"Yeah," she replied in a feeble attempt to not reveal too much.

"We learned about Screechsnap," Neville told her as he avoided prying into her personal life.

"Screechsnap," Natalie nodded with squinted eyes, "Yeah, that sounds familiar."

"Familiar?"

"I told you," huffed Natalie. "I don't remember what we-"

"-what we learned about," finished Neville. Natalie stared at him.

"Sorry," said Neville. "I'm not usually a sentence-finisher."

Natalie chuckled, "You never seemed like one."

"Then what do I seem like?"

Natalie paused and took her time to think. She leaned back in her chair and watched as a sudden stream of sunlight poured into the room. The sun had finally come out. It had been such a long day.

"You seem like the type to keep quiet," decided Natalie. "The type to keep quiet, but want to say a billion things at once. The type to stand up to people when it really scares you. The type that knows it all but doesn't want to show it. That's what you seem like." Neville stayed silent, waiting for her to continue. "And now that I have dissected you, I ask: What do I seem like? From what you know?"

Neville shifted in his seat. The room felt bright, too bright. "You seem like..." he paused. "The type that has everything at her fingertips, but is just out of her reach. The type that wants what she can't have. The type that cares too much about people. The type that isn't afraid of anything."

Natalie didn't know what to say. Suddenly, for the first time in her life, she was afraid. But not fearful. She was afraid because her Herbology teacher just confessed what no one ever had to her; that he truly understood her, even if it was just a game that they were playing. Neville Longbottom was sitting at her fingertips, just out of her reach. She wanted what she couldn't have. She cared too much for him. His analysis of her was right-on.

Neville looked into her deep eyes. He didn't say anything, but wanted to spill his life to her. He wanted to talk to Hannah about their future, but was afraid to enter his opinion into the matter. Neville wanted to tell Natalie everything. Her analysis of him was right-on.

They returned to the lesson, but something was different between them. They were no longer a teacher helping a student. They were two equals discussing Herbology. Neville smiled when she smiled. He laughed when she laughed. They were just two misunderstood souls, finding solace in one another.

There would be Hell to come from this Heaven.

* * *

_A/N: So yeah, here we go. A little foreshadowing. A little connection made between the two. A little conversation. A little of everything, except physical affection. Which is coming, I swear. Tell me what you think and sound off in the **review** section! Love you all xoxo_


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Neville paced in his office more so than he ever did before since his last meeting with Natalie-they had had almost ten by now. Normally, they spent most of the meeting talking. Although something about her was comforting, it also put him on edge. Neville couldn't place it. He massaged his hands through his hair and sigh roughly, collapsing on a nearby couch. Dust came up in puffs. "Scorgio!" Neville waved his wand to clean the dusty couch, but nothing happened. He sighed, making a mental note to clean it later. Maybe if a student got detention, he would force them to clean it. No, too cruel. He'd do it himself.

He sat there for precisely fifteen more minutes before the expectant knock on his door came. Neville lolled his head towards the door, then jumped up and sprang over. He nearly knocked over the umbrella stand doing so.

Natalie stood on the other side of the door, the sheer image of beauty. Neville let his eyes soak in her goddess-like appearance, before stepping to the side and letting her in. Natalie walked in like she owned the place. She slammed her books down on the floor and forced herself into Neville's office chair. Her arms were crossed angrily across her chest.

"Is something wrong?" Neville asked wearily. He couldn't think of anything better.

"No," said Natalie bluntly.

"Okay," replied Neville, taking the seat that a student normally occupied.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Natalie spun absentmindedly in his chair, and Neville flipped through his folder of notes for the lesson they would be having today.

"So what are we learning about today?" Natalie finally broke the tension. She sat upright in her chair, and placed her chin in the palm of her hand. The shining and excited eyes Neville had grown to adore were back.

"You'll see," said Neville, grabbing his satchel that he had placed carefully by the umbrella stand. "Follow me."

Natalie, confused, stood in a hurry and snatched up her bad as well. A paper managed to fly out of it, but she paid it no attention and followed Neville out into the bright greenhouse. She was surprised to find him exiting it.

"Where are we going?" asked Natalie, almost breathlessly.

"The forest," said Neville casually. "When I went to Hogwarts, we would have classes often down here. Care of Magical Creatures especially."

"I love it there, but I hardly ever have an opportunity to visit."

Neville swallowed in shock, but didn't comment.

They reached the edge of the forest. Neville walked in without any hesitance, and, to Neville's immense surprise, Natalie followed him. She didn't even stop to check her surroundings or take a deep breath. Natalie continued to surprise him.

"Is it always this dark in here?" wondered Natalie absentmindedly. In fact, she hadn't even realized that she had asked it until the words had flown from her mouth.

"Er-not really," replied Neville, leading her throughout the forest. Suddenly, without the least bit of warning, he tripped and landed face first in a large pile of thick, brown mud.

"Oh!" exclaimed Natalie, whipping her robe hems away from the splatter that came up from his fall. "Are-" she tried her best not to laugh, "Are you alright?"

Neville hurriedly stood, his face coated in a thick layer of mud. "Yeah, yeah," he said, wiping the substance away from his eyes, "I'm fine."

Natalie couldn't help it-she started laughing as hard as she had when Penelope Salamander had made out with a first-year by accident. Neville's appearance was hysterical; his entire front half was brown without a speck of colour showing through besides his glinting white teeth and probing blue eyes.

"It's not funny!" Neville whined as he pulled out his wand and waved it at his front half. To his relief, the mud was cleansed from his body.

"It totally is!" laughed Natalie. She calmed down a bit when she saw that Neville was so embarrassed that he was making quite a show of slouching and rambling off further into the wilderness. "Are you actually embarrassed?!" she asked, bewildered.

"No," defended Neville, back still turned from her. Natalie decided not to push it any further, even though she knew that he was absolutely, one-hundred percent fuming with embarrassment.

They eventually reached a clearing after about two minutes of walking. The grass seemed almost crystalline, bending over to the strong wind that blew in from the East. The sun shone down from all areas, and the only shadow that hung over the meadow was at the very edge of the clearing where it was considerably cooler. The light mist of snow that had been precipitating earlier that day had now disappeared and had been replaced with a nice mid-forty degree weather. In the very center of the field was a large rock with what looked like weeds growing about it, but Natalie knew that it was not. Neville lead Natalie over to it, throwing his bag up onto the rock. Natalie did the same.

"Do you know what these are?" asked Neville, pointing to the unruly mess that twisted and grew from all angles beneath the rock.

"No," answered Natalie, both bored and seemingly uninterested.

"For Merlin's sake!" exlaimed Neville, throwing his hands in the air. The outburst took Natalie by surprise, and she jumped. It wasn't the first teacher to get impatient, but she had never expected it from Neville.

"Sorry," Natalie cast her eyes downward. She was far from the perfect student.

"No, I am," apologized Neville. "Look, see this?" He was pointing at the yellow dot in the middle of each leave that grew from the viney plant. Natalie nodded. "That's how you're gonna identify it."

Natalie searched her memory. "Lerchin?" she finally decided on. Neville had taught her about them about two weeks ago, during their sixth session. It was a pull, Natalie knew. Based on the large grin that spread across Neville's face, Natalie knew that she had nailed it. "I really got it right?"

Slowly, the smile became fixed and he shook his head.

"Dammit," said Natalie. She had grown used to cussing around Neville, as he with her. It was a mutual thing that bothered neither of them. "Why are you smiling then?"

"You have mud," he pointed to her left cheek, "splattered across your face."

"Why didn't you tell me before?!" Natalie asked, enraged. She turned away and tried to wipe it off, only smearing it more.

"Sorry," Neville immediately apologized. As usual, he took the blame for things, which was good because Natalie was stubborn and would never admit to half the pranks she had pulled on him in class.

He started giggling again.

"What is it this time?!"

"You only made it worse!"

"Well wave your wand then and get it off of me!" demanded Natalie. Neville felt uncomfortable with the request, seeing as it was practically a miracle that he had been able to clear his face of the mud earlier.

"I'm not very good at cleaning spells though," or any spells for that matter, his mind finished for him.

"You just did one!"

"And I was lucky it worked!"

"Do you at least have a mirror?" inquired Natalie.

"Sorry, no," replied Neville.

"Ugh!" Natalie slumped to the ground in annoyance. "I am sure as hell not going to go the whole lesson with mud on my face."

"Here," said Neville. He had joined her on the soft grass, casually scooting closer so that he was directly in front of here. Carefully, with shaking hands, he brought his thumb to Natalie's cheek and brushed away the mud in precision. It took a few wipes, and Neville realized that he was practically stroking her cheek. Under his palm, he felt her temperature go up. Embarrassed, he pulled away his hand and a silence ensued between the two.

"Here," Neville handed her his teacher's guide, "Try and find how to identify the plant. What did we talk about last lesson?"

Natalie could barely remember, for she was so winded from the intense moment that had just passed between them. "Um..."

"C'mon, Natalie, you know this."

Her heart skipped a beat at the sound of him saying her name.

"The three C's," repeated Natalie from a distant memory.

"Correct," said Neville, "and those three Cs are...?"

"Colour, crispness, character."

"Yes! So the prominent colour of the plant is..."

"Yellow..." guessed Natalie, "because it's in the middle?" It came out like a question.

"So that means it is..."

"Magical."

"Yes, a non-muggle plant. Go feel the crispness, but remember your gloves!"

Natalie followed his orders. She snapped on her gardening gloves and slowly stood, letting her robes fall around her body nicely. Neville watched with appreciation, but averted her eyes as she bent over and snapped off a leaf.

"Oh, don't do that!" exclaimed Neville, and tried to stand, but tripped over the hem of his robes, landing on his knees in front of her. Natalie began to laugh hysterically.

"Can't keep on your feet, can you?" she asked timidly.

Neville brushed off the comment, but heat rose in his cheeks as he came to his feet, now standing about six inches above her. "You shouldn't break off the leaf. Depending on what the plant is, it can either cause harm or death or nothing, and your decision has left the plant with..." they watched as the stem of the plant slumped over, and the leaves shrivel up and lose their colour, "death."

"Oh," said Natalie silently. "It's just a plant though, right?"

"Right," replied Neville, kneeling before it with inspection. "We learned about the plant earlier, though. Do you know what it is now?"

Natalie nodded, "Yeah, I remember you talking about it. It starts with an F-er, a Frang?"

"Frong," corrected Neville. "But excellent try!" He gave her a wide grin, but Natalie's gaze dropped, ashamed.

"But I killed it."

Neville nodded. "You learned from the experience though."

"True," said Natalie. "Er, but I'm sorry."

"It's alright," said Neville, curious to her apology. "Why are you apologizing?"

"I know you, er, really like plants. I feel like I killed a close friend of yours."

To her immense surprise, Neville giggled.

Natalie looked up, shocked. He was smiling, and in quite a close proximity at that. "What's so funny?!"

"I don't care about that plant! It kills!" he laughed, "And you-" he tapped her on the nose "-would have known that if you had been paying attention in class."

As soon as he tapped her nose, electricity seemed to run from the tip down her body, seemingly warming her body, causing her to blush. She looked up at him through her eyelashes, and he swallowed hard.

"Right, well, we should get back to class."

Natalie looked at her feet, "Right. Come one then."

* * *

A/N: _Haven't updated in a while, I was on a major hiatus! Sorry all xx. Thank you to all who have reviewed/subscribed! I will reply shortly to them all. Anyways, hopefully I'll update quickly more now! Please R&R!_


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